Slide fastener



Oct. 15, 1957 A. c. FOLTIS 2,809,412

SLIDE FASTENER Filed June 7, 1954 INVENTOR A'NESTIS FOLTIS.

' AITORNEY United rates SLIDE FASTENER Application June 7, 1954, Serial No. 434,704

4 Claims. (Cl. 24-20515) My invention is an improvement in fasteners, particularly a slidable member for engaging and disengaging opposing rows of stationary fasteners attached to strips secured on garments, covers and other articles.

The chief object of this invention is to provide a slidable member for such fasteners which will smooth out folds of cloth and other obstructions that would otherwise interfere with the stationary fasteners and prevent the union or release thereof.

Another important object is to provide a movable fastener having an inside space which receives the stationary fastening elements, and which is enlarged at the necessary places to give room to cloth that may be caught in the movable fastener member, to be readily liberated and smoothed out, and thus avoid ripping and tearing.

The nature and advantages of the invention are fully and clearly set forth in the ensuing detailed description, and the characteristics are defined in the claims. The drawings illustrate a preferred form of the improved slidable member, but variations in minor respects may be adopted in the structure of the device without departure from the main design in which the invention resides.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan enlarged of a slidable fastener member according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof, also enlarged.

Figure 3 is an enlarged rear view.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the enlarged member.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 in Figure 3.

Figure 6 shows how the releasing and smoothing out effect is obtained by said member in case a fold of cloth is caught therein.

The numeral 1 on Figure 6 of the drawings indicates a pair of strips of cloth or other material, each having secured thereto a row of stationary fastening elements 2. The slidable member 3 is mounted to be movable along the fastening elements 2 to cause them to hold and release one another in the usual way. This member 3 has a front half or section 4 and a back half or section 5 with wide ends, connected at the middle of their forward ends by a bridge or neck 6. The opposite or rear end of the member is narrow and open and the side edges or flanges 7 of the back and front halves are bent towards each other and overlap the elements 2 which pass through the member as the latter slips along the strips 1 in one direction or the other. The front section 4 has a tab 8 pivotally attached to it to be grasped by the fingers to facilitate moving the member 3.

The sections 4 and 5 are not entirely parallel but have their outer faces 9 somewhat concave, so that these halves are farthest apart adjacent the neck 6 and the interior space 10 is largest near the neck. Inside the member the neck 6 has a short projection 11 that tapers away from the neck and extends from the front half 4 to the rear half 5. At each side the two halves have lateral or wing-like projections 12 just in front of the side flanges 7, and at atent G me 2,809,412 Patented Oct. 15, 1957 eachside of the neck 6 these projections 12 at each side being bent slightly towards each other; but with the distance between them greater than the space at each side between the flanges 7. The projections 12 are present because the sections 4 and 5 of the slider are wider adjacent the neck and then become narrower because they are tapered toward the opposite end.

The inside space 10 of the member 4 between the neck 6 and the projections 12 is further enlarged by grooves 13 and 14, one at each side, on the inner face of each half 4 and 5, beginning at the projection 11 and extending diagonally outward across the inner faces of the projections 12. These grooves terminate at the adjacent ends of the flanges 7. The projections 12 are rounded and the edges 15 of the halves 4 and 5 are curved in concave fashion diagonally outward between the neck 6 and the projection 12.

With the strips 1 joined to a garment or cover or other article, the fastening elements 2 are caused to connect or disconnect the strips by movement of .the member 3. .One takes hold of the tab 8 on the front 4 to pull the member along the strips 1. When the .elements 2 .are to be disengaged, the member 3 is moved with the narrow end leading; and when the elements 2 on the one strip are to be joined to those on .the other, the member 3 is moved so that the wide end with the neck 6 is the leading end. When the strips 1 are to be joined together there is some risk that a fold of cloth, shown at 16 in Figure 6, or other obstruction may be between the rows of elements 2 and the curved edges 15 of the halves 4 and 5, and such an obstruction could snag and stop the member 3 and possibly cause the material of the garment or other article to be damaged. But such an obstruction will be pushed out of the way of the member 3 by the projections 12. Also if the strips 1 are not even with each other, the projections 12 will smooth them out. On reverse movement to release the elements 2, the projection 11 will slide along the united elements 2 and remove any obstruction at this time in the way of the member 3. Thus certain and efl'icient operation is assured.

When the fastener is operated to unite the elements 2, should a fold of the cloth 16 enter the fastener, it will be more or less loosely received in the space 10 adjacent the neck 6, and the grooves 13 and 14 will give room to the cloth and prevent the cloth from being caught and bound too tightly between the halves 4 and 5 and the elements 2, and torn if the slide member is forced ahead. When a fold is thus caught the motion of the slide member 3 is immediately checked. The operator then pulls back on the tab 8 to reverse the member 3 and the fold comes out of the slider quite easily. A few movements of the member 3 back and forth is then enough to cause the wings 12 and edges 15 to push the fold out of the Way and down past the elements 2, so that the connection of the elements 2 can be completed. The space between the two halves 4 and 5 at the ends where they are joined by the neck 6 is of course large enough to permit easy reception of the stationary elements 2 and the cloth to which they are attached and the edges 15 do not project inward and do not restrict said space. The grooves 13 and 14 are indented with respect to the inner faces of the halves 4 and 5.

The inside projection 11 is shown as consisting of pin 20 affixed to the halves 4 and 5 and diagonal inside projections 21 at each end of the neck 6. But this projection can of course be all in one piece and have the form of an angular nose on the inside of the neck 6.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

l. A slidable fastener member to connect and disconnect adjacent rows of stationary fastener elements, said member comprising a front and a back section connected by'a neck at one end, each section having a laterally extending projection at each side adjacent said neck, and having flanges along both sides, the flanges of each section being presented to the other section and extending from the opposite end of the sections towards said projections and terminating short of the same, to guide said elements into engagement'with one'another, each projection of one section having a groove in its inner face, said grooves con verging towards said neck.

2. A slidable fastener member to connect and disconnect adjacent rows of stationary fastener elements, said member comprising a front and a back section connected by a neck at one end, each section having a laterally extending projection at each side adjacent said neck, and having flanges along both sides, the flanges of each section being presented to the other section and extending from the opposite'end of the sections towards said projections and terminating short of the same, to guide said elements into engagement with one another, said projections each having a groove in its inner face, said grooves converging to said neck.

V 3. A slidable fastener member to connect and disconnect adjacent rows of stationary fastener elements, said member comprising a front and a back section connected by a neck at one end, each section having a laterally extending projection at each side adjacent said neck, and having flanges along both sides, the flanges of each section being presented to the other section and extending from the opposite end of the sections towards said projections and terminating short of the same, to guide said elements into engagement with one another, each projection of one section having a groove in its inner face, said grooves being disposed transversely of said projections and converging towards said neck, said grooves each having an end open at the sides edges of said projections, adjacentsaid flanges and in proximity to adjacent ends of said flanges.

4. A slidable fastener member to connect and disconnect adjacent rows of stationary fastener elements, said member comprising a front and a back section connected by a neck at one end, each section having a laterally extending projection at each side adjacent said neck, and having flanges along both sides, the flanges of each section being presented to the other section and extending from the opposite end of the sections towards said projections and terminating short of the same, to guide said elements into engagement with one another, said projections each having a groove in its inner face, said grooves'being disposed transversely of said projections and converging towards said neck, said grooves each having one end open at the side edges of said projections, adjacent. said flanges and in proximity to adjacent ends of said flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 896,689 Canfield Aug. 18, 1908 2,072,200 De Vore Mar. 2, 1937 BOREIGN PATENTS 286,957 Great Britain Mar. 15, 1928 312,621 Great Britain ...4 May 29, 1929 387,480 Great Britain Feb. 9, 1933 

